


Just to make happy someone like you

by OtterAndTerrier



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Gift Giving, Holidays, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, warnings for swearing and moderate drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:34:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22075543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OtterAndTerrier/pseuds/OtterAndTerrier
Summary: As the rebels begin to settle down in Echo Base, a Secret Friend Exchange is held for New Year Fete. For two people, the challenge might prove to be harder than they thought.
Relationships: Chewbacca & Han Solo, Chewbacca & Leia Organa, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker & Han Solo, Leia Organa/Han Solo
Comments: 12
Kudos: 58
Collections: General Joy, Hanleia Exchange





	Just to make happy someone like you

**Author's Note:**

> Written for **theorganasolo** for the **Han/Leia Secret Santa 2019**. Happy Holidays, and I hope you'll enjoy this!  
> One of the prompts in my assignment was: "Secret Santa Exchange on Echo Base (ESB period) where Han and Leia get each other and struggle to come up with the perfect gift". I really liked the idea and decided to do my take on it.  
> Many thanks to **lajulie** and **graciecatfamilyband** for their help! Leia's present was inspired by their headcanons that Leia is particularly crafty with thread and needle, and I also included everyone's favourite headcanon that Han brings stuff for Leia all the time. And thanks to the mods for bringing this back.

**_Han Solo_ **

_ Male. Undisclosed age, conflicting available records place him at 28-32 years. Corellian-born and presumably raised. Captain of the Millennium Falcon. Smuggler.  _

_ Likes: _

_ \- money _

_ \- whiskey _

_ \- ancient, unreliable ships _

_ \- … money _

_ \- gambling _

_ \- pissing me off | _

For five minutes, Leia just stared at the blinking cursor on her datapad. How had she known the man for nearly three years and that was all she could come up with?

Her second thought when she had opened her “secret friend” assignment and seen she’d pulled Han had been ‘At least I’ll have a better idea of what to get him.’ Her first thought had been ‘Oh, you have to be kidding me,’ and now that she realized she actually had no idea of what to get him, she was back to that original impression.

In a way, it would have been easier if she’d been assigned someone she didn’t know well; then, she could have chosen something generic and be done with it. But no; it had to be Han, didn’t it? She would have to spend her valuable time looking for the right gift for him so that he wouldn’t find anything to tease her about, and in the end he would find something to tease her about anyway.

The real question here, however, was:  _ why had they, a freedom-fighter operation with scant resources, agreed to do a Secret Friend Exchange?! _

The idea had been suggested by someone from Personnel, arguing that New Year was coming up in three weeks. Doing something festive to honour the occasion would go a long way in raising morale, they had said, which was on an all-time low after part of the Alliance had relocated to the icy planet of Hoth to build a new, more permanent base.

The New Year Fete was one of the few holidays that were celebrated—or at the very least marked as an official holiday—in every civilized planet of the known regions, due to the forced standardization of the galactic calendar. On that date, people celebrated the beginning of a new time cycle with public festivals, family gatherings and the exchange of gifts to symbolize meeting the coming year with abundance. A common tradition that was popular among friends, co-workers, or families who couldn’t afford to buy presents for everyone was to draw lots to match givers and giftees, which was known as a “secret friend exchange.” 

It was insanity, Leia thought, considering there were presently around eight hundred rebels stationed in the in-progress Echo Base, and not a single spare credit.

Leia swiped back to the announcement message.

_ What counts is the gesture! Offer your recipient something inexpensive but meaningful, like the last piece of dessert, or to cover their shift at a time of their convenience. Maybe an extra pair of socks! If you need any more ideas, here at Personnel we might be able to help you out. _

Somehow she doubted Personnel could help her come up with a low-cost gift that would both let Han know she appreciated him and keep his already big head a normal size.

Leia went back to her list and reviewed it item by item. She couldn't just give him money, or ship parts—holiday generosity could only go so far. Whiskey, she knew he had his own stash of better stuff than she could possibly get her hands on. A new pair of gloves, a deck of cards, they would make good gifts in normal circumstances, but wherever could she find stuff like that in all of Hoth? About the only things she'd be able to find on Hoth outside of Echo Base were ice, ice and ice, and Leia was very familiar with Han’s opinions on the subject. 

_ Maybe I’ll give him an enlistment form _ , she thought with sarcastic amusement.  _ That would make for a good joke for about three seconds. _

With a resigned sigh, Leia decided to leave the issue for later and get back to work. There was plenty of time to figure it out.

* * *

‘Hell no! What’s this?! I  _ told them _ to leave me out of it! Chewie, get in here!’

Sitting up on his bunk, Han looked up as Chewbacca’s head popped into the cabin.

‘[Will you stop yelling?]’ the Wookiee growled. ‘[What’s wrong?]’

Han held his datapad up for Chewie to see, pointing angrily at the screen. Checking his messages first thing after waking up had not been such a hot idea after all.

‘That Secret Friend thing! Told them I wasn’t doin’ it but they paired me up anyway—I’m not even enlisted! Did  _ you _ have anythin’ to do with it?’

Chewie raised his hands up.

‘[Of course not!]’ he said indignantly. ‘[Why would I do that?]’

‘You get funny notions like that sometimes,’ Han replied, still looking suspiciously at his friend.

‘[Have you thought it’s possible other people like you?]’

Han swung his legs off the bunk and stood up. ‘Yeah, why wouldn’t they?’

‘[So who did you get?]’ Chewie asked as Han opened his closet and grabbed a clean shirt.

‘Uh, I didn’t check, ‘cos I’m tellin’ them to cross me out.’

‘[Ha! You got the princess!]’

Han spun around so fast, he lost his balance and smacked the back of his head against the closet door.

‘Gimme that!’ he said, rubbing the sore spot while he snatched the datapad out of Chewie’s paws. Leia. They expected  _ him  _ to give  _ Leia  _ a New Year’s gift. No pressure or anything.

‘[Do you want to participate now?]’ Chewie asked, tilting his head to a side and chuckling.

‘No, I want to participate even less now. C’mon, are you kiddin’ me? What could I give her?’

‘[Han, you give her gifts  _ all the time _ !]’

Frowning, he threw the datapad back on the bunk and put on his shirt.

‘What? No I don’t.’

‘[Oh, alright, let’s see. There’s a full crate of Gatalentan tea in the forward hold you don’t drink, but the princess happens to like. I know you threw in some extra credits out of your pocket to our toiletries suppliers for hand cream after the princess complained about her hands being chapped. When she said she was considering cutting out her hair because she was running out of pins but she’d be sad about it, you stopped by five stores and got her half a dozen boxes of them. When—]’

‘Stop that,’ Han snapped, scowling. ‘That’s not the same, those ain’t gifts.’

‘[Your language is not very subtle, I know that gift means something you give to someone else.]’

‘I don’t know what to tell you, pal, you need to take some advanced lessons in Basic,’ Han said, walking to the ‘fresher. He turned around before entering, bracing an arm against the hatch frame. ‘It’s just different, alright? I knew she needed that stuff, I was just doin’ her a favor.’

‘[A favor which she did not ask for.]’

‘’Cos she never asks for personal stuff! All the favors she asks for, they’re really for the Alliance.’ Turning back to the ‘fresher, he opened the cabinet behind the mirror and took out his shaving cream and razor. ‘My point is that she needed some stuff and I got it for her and that’s a favor, not a gift. A gift is something she wouldn’t expect, something nice an’ fancy. I can’t give, I dunno, a bottle of better quality shampoo as a New Year’s gift to a kriffin’ princess.’

‘[So that’s who that shampoo was for? I thought it was for you.]’

Han rolled his eyes, lathering his face.

‘[I think you should give yourself some credit. The princess enjoys what you give her. They are gifts to her, which she did not expect, and you got them because you listened to her. You do not need to buy her a shimmersilk robe to show her you care about her.]’

‘I don’t care about her,’ Han mumbled, focusing on his shaving. ‘I just look after her. That’s another language difference you should work on.’

* * *

A hangar bay was the first thing they had carved out of the snowy bowels of the glacier, although they were planning on building at least three more if the settlement turned out to be viable. There was only one big room that served as barracks and mess hall—the plan was to later turn it into briefing room—and a medical center that presently accommodated the Command Center as well.

Across the hangar, the  _ Millennium Falcon _ ’s ramp was down, corroborating what Leia already knew: that Chewbacca had stayed behind on the freighter. Its captain had been summoned by General Rieekan to consult on strategic routes, something she also knew and was taking advantage of. It was now or never.

‘Chewie?’ she called out, and the Wookiee leaned out from behind an open compartment with a welcoming warble. Leia grinned up at him. ‘I feel like it’s been so long since I last saw you, I just wanted to say hi and thank you again for helping us set this up.’

‘[It’s not problem, Princess],’ he said, reaching out a big paw to pat Leia’s head very gently. ‘[I go where Han goes, but I’m glad he came here.]’

‘That’s good to know.’ She pointed at the panel Chewie was working on. ‘Do you need a hand with that?’

‘[Sure, Princess, you could screw these down.]’

Leia set out to work, biding her time.

‘You probably heard that we’re doing a New Year celebration, right?’

‘[I did hear that, yes. And a gift exchange as well],’ Chewie said.

‘Yes, exactly. I know you guys celebrate Life Day, but do you do something for New Year, usually?’

‘[We toast to it, sometimes we go to a bar if we are planetside, or we go sit on the hull and watch the fireworks.]’

‘Do you ever exchange presents?’ Leia asked in her best casual voice.

‘[We do. It is tradition, isn’t it? We give each other a bottle of whiskey, a special food treat, or sometimes a new tool, and we end up sharing it. It’s never much of a secret.]’

Leia laughed as she mulled that over. Those had been pretty much her ideas, but if they hadn’t convinced her before, now they seemed even less authentic.

‘So there’s never something else that Han has really wanted?’

‘[The  _ Falcon _ . But he got that all by himself.]’

‘I see.’

‘[Why do you ask, Princess?]’

Leia looked up and saw Chewie looking at her curiously. She had been staring at the screws with a frown for a few too many seconds.

‘[Are you Han’s Secret Friend?]’

Her heartbeat sped up but, calmly, she said, ‘I couldn’t say if I was, Chewie, could I? Especially not to you.’

‘[I suppose you are right.]’ He chuckled, which seemed like a bit of an odd reaction, but Leia was more worried about him accidentally telling Han. ‘[Don’t worry, Princess; I would never tell Han if I thought it was you.]’

Shaking her head at the Wookiee’s perceptiveness, Leia laughed and said, ‘And I would appreciate that, if that were the case. I think these are done now. I should get going...’

‘[Thank you, Princess, I’m grateful for the help and the visit.]’ Putting his tool down, Chewie walked with Leia out into the corridor. ‘[You know, if Han’s Secret Friend asked me, I’d tell them that as much as Han likes to make money, he’s not a man of luxuries. I think a good gift for him would be something given from the heart, not something expensive or that he needs.]’

‘I’m sure that’d be very useful for Han’s Secret Friend,’ Leia told him with a wink. ‘See you around, Chewie.’

That was interesting information for sure. She’d already observed that, as all-about-the-money as Han appeared to be, it all seemed to go either to the  _ Falcon _ or to his debt fund for Jabba, not towards extravagant clothing or accessories, or even superficial additions for his ship (stars knew it could have done with better bunks, or a galley, just off the top of her head). The most he splurged on seemed to be a bottle of Whyren’s Reserve now and then. She would have to think about it and reconsider her approach, but… a gift from the heart? Did Chewie mean that whatever gift she chose, it should be special, or maybe that something that wasn’t material, like a gesture, would be more appreciated?

* * *

‘... seems like it could work. Alright, Solo, we’ll see what we can do with this information, I appreciate your input.’

‘Anytime, General.’

Rieekan had already turned away when Han gave himself a final kick and said, ‘General Rieekan, wait. I was wonderin’ if I could take two more minutes of your time for a, uh, personal matter.’

He’d told himself over and over that he should play it subtle: steer the conversation naturally towards the topic and wheedle out the answers he needed. But who was he kidding: he was mostly good at that kind of thing when there was a bottle and a deck of cards on the table. He didn’t have much time now: Leia was nowhere in sight, but she was bound to return soon.

Rieekan frowned in confusion but gave Han his full attention again.

‘Sure, Solo. What is it?’

‘I was just wonderin’, with the New Year comin’ and all that, if there were any special traditions back in Alderaan… you know, uh… special sorts of gifts you’d give someone?’

The older man put fisted hands on his hips as he thought, still looking every bit as perplexed by the question as before.

‘Well, as you might know, Alderaan’s culture put great value in the arts, so for New Year it was customary to give gifts related to someone’s artistic craft, to begin the year with fresh inspiration.’

‘So, what, paintbrushes to painters, that kinda stuff?’

‘Yes, that was the gist of it. Or for those who weren’t creators themselves, a yearly pass to the opera, a piece of art, depending on their cultural preferences.’

‘Right. So did the princess have any… uh, particular craft she was good at?’

‘Princess Leia?’ Now Rieekan frowned at the floor, and Han stole a glance at the doorway, wishing he’d hurry up. ‘Not that I know of, but I couldn’t tell you for sure.’

He looked up at Han, realization slowly dawning on him.

‘Are you looking to get a present for her?’

‘No! I just know who her Secret Friend is—for the exchange, y’know?’

‘Oh, yes. I didn’t know the Princess was taking part as well—the rest of High Command declined, myself included. So did this mystery giver ask you for ideas, then?’

‘Yeah, that’s right. So if there’s anything off the top of your head you think she might enjoy...’

‘I’m sorry, I only seem to remember Bail talking about getting her collectible glass orbs when she was young. We used to decorate trees and bushes with small colored spheres, you see, and some shops released special edition sets that could be kept as memorabilia.’

So, the things Leia would appreciate the most were Alderaanian souvenirs that Han wasn’t likely to find in a pinch.

‘Alright, well, thank you, General, that’s given m—uh, her Secret Friend, a lot to think about for sure.’

‘One more thing, Solo,’ Rieekan added. ‘Perhaps you’ve already figured this out, but maybe you’d like to tell this Secret Friend of hers that, despite her upbringing, Princess Leia was never someone with a taste for expensive things.’

Han paused, turning that over in his head, and nodded in goodbye.

He ran into Leia on his way out.

‘Hey. How did that go?’ she asked, stopping in front of him.

‘Huh? Oh, the meeting. Good, great. What were you up to?’

‘Just checking my speeder since I need to go out soon.’

‘Need a hand with that?’ Han offered.

‘No, it was fine,’ she said, waving a hand. ‘The gift exchange seems to be freaking people out, though. I just ran into Luke; he’s rueing the day he signed up. He has absolutely no idea what to get his person.’

‘Yeah? What, he used to givin’ sand rocks?’

Leia rolled her eyes at his smirk but couldn’t suppress a reluctant smile.

Casually, he asked, ‘What about you, he made you sign up, right?’

‘Yes, so I have no sympathy for him.’

‘Who did ya get?’

She raised an eyebrow at him. ‘Ha, like I’m telling you. It’s a  _ secret _ exchange!’

‘C’mon. Did you get Luke? I bet you got Luke.’

‘Uh-huh, and who did  _ you _ get?’

‘I wasn’t s’pposed to get anyone ‘cos I told them not to add me,’ Han told her, side-stepping the question, ‘so I need to have a word with someone around here.’

Leia didn’t let that go.

‘But you did get someone… ‘

Han wiggled a finger at her. ‘Yeah, and I’m not tellin’  _ you _ now. Ha!’

‘Fine, I don’t care,’ she snapped, although Han knew by the tilt of her mouth that she was just bantering with him.

‘Alright then, go find yourself some sand rocks for your Secret Friend!’ he said in goodbye, walking away backwards with a cocky grin that was answered by the most delightful mock-outraged expression he’d ever seen.

* * *

There was a part of Leia that still dreaded holiday celebrations. Grief held on to the little details that sparked a memory to manifest, and holidays were full of memories. She could not envision a future in which the idea of celebrating them wouldn’t hurt anymore.

This time, she also felt some trepidation at the gift reveal. She’d put plenty of thought and work into her present, and still she couldn’t help but picture Han’s confused face twisting into a mocking laugh when he opened it, thinking her silly.

The enthusiasm with which her comrades embraced the opportunity to celebrate the New Year was hard to remain indifferent to, however. The first year after Yavin, much of their fleet had been split up and, despite their big hit against the Empire, they had suffered too many loses—Alderaan’s included—to feel festive at all. The year after that, people had timidly shared drinks during breaks. Now, it was evident that the rebels wanted a bit of a distraction from the discomforts of war, a respite before going back to the fight with renewed energy.

On the last day of the year, Echo Base had been decorated by a handful of volunteers. Using coloured flimsi, native flora, discarded wires, scraps of clothing and other spare material, they had made ornaments that reflected a variety of traditions from across the galaxy: garlands, stars, animal and plant sigils, wreaths, and more. There was an air of excitement and goodwill all around that made the frigid air just a little more bearable.

The volunteers had been testing playing music without covering the main sound system, in case any important messages from Command were relayed; tables from the mess hall had been brought into the hangar, followed by service droids that lay a spread of finger food and sweets. Like the decor, these had also been improvised with their regular food and rations. Glowwine was the only intoxicant they had allowed, although High Command was keenly aware that certain pilots kept private stashes of alcohol. The implicit rule was “as long as you don’t get shitfaced on duty, we’ll look the other way.”

Leia was one of the people who were still on their shift when the party began, set to be replaced at 2300, but she didn’t mind. The music played in the Command-cum-med center as well, plus there were droids and people constantly going in and out with food and drinks for all. 

When the shift rotation came about, Leia left her station and went in search of Luke, Han and Chewie in the hangar. The combination of glowwine and hanging out with her friends finally managed to let her enjoy the moment free of sad memories.

Before she knew it, Luke was checking his chrono and saying, ‘Only three minutes to midnight!’

_ So soon? _ Leia thought, feeling nervous all over again, but she just smiled at Luke and took a sip of her drink.

There was a sense of expectation now across the hangar, until the first ‘Happy New Year!’ broke it shortly after.

‘Happy New Year!’ said Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie too, raising and clinking their glasses. They were soon approached by others as people turned towards their neighbours to pass on their salutations. 

Leia wasn’t sure when the gift exchange would happen. Traditionally, everyone would do it right after toasting, but her package had been too conspicuous to carry around so she’d left it in her quarters.

After a few moments, she began to see people deliberately walking up to others with parcels in their hands, expressions of surprise sounding across the hangar as the secret friend was revealed. 

‘Luke,’ Wedge said, approaching the group with a lumpy package in his hands, 'Happy New Year, mate.'

Surprised, Han turned towards Leia as Luke opened a pair of (probably second-hand, but well-cared for) gloves. ‘Huh, guess you weren’t his secret friend.’

‘Guess not,’ she said with a shrug, smiling impishly.

‘Ain't you goin’ to go find them?’

Leia crossed her arms over her chest. ‘Are  _ you _ ?’

He shrugged lazily. ‘Maybe soon.’

‘Maybe I'll find mine soon, too.’

The party went on like that for while: rebels kept crossing the hangar to wish others a happy new year, to toast and to exchange presents, although they learned that not everyone had done so yet, which made Leia feel a little relieved. A pilot came up to Chewie and gave him a tub of polishing wax for his bowcaster. Then Chewie gave one of the cooks a set of small bags, each with different cooking spices.

General Rieekan walked through the crowd, raising his glass to everyone who saluted him, but he didn’t stop until he was face to face with Leia.

‘Princess,’ he said in Alderaanian. ‘Happy New Year and blessings to you. I toast to your good health.’

Seeing the man, nearly her father’s age, salute her in such traditional fashion took Leia back to New Year celebrations at the palace, where the Organas would toast to each other and kiss each other’s cheeks twice before moving on to the guests. Knowing that she wouldn’t turn around to be received by her parents’ loving smiles suddenly pierced her like a vibroblade. 

Still, she kept her composure, smiled and raised her glass to him.

‘Hap—’ Her voiced wobbled slightly. That wouldn’t do. Leia cleared her throat. ‘Happy New Year and blessings to you, General.’

She took a big sip of glowwine and swallowed the knot in her throat. She had thought Rieekan had opted out of the exchange, but he surprised her by holding out a small pouch out for her.

‘I couldn’t not get you a little something,’ the General told her. ‘It’s just candied takhal nuts, but I made them myself in a pinch.’

Leia took the present and held it in both hands, smiling up at him. 

‘Thank you so much,’ she said. ‘That means a lot.’

‘It was no problem,’ Rieekan told her, patting her shoulder. ‘Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get some of that jogan cake.’

Leia opened the pouch and brought it up to her nose, inhaling the sweet smell.

‘I had no idea he’d ended up joining the exchange,’ she commented.

Han raised his eyebrows. ‘Right, yeah. Me neither.’

‘Does any of you want to try these? They’re really good,’ she offered, but her friends declined. ‘Well then, I think it’s time to go give someone their gift. See you guys later.’

She had almost reached the passageway out when she heard, ‘Leia, wait!’

Han caught up with her as she stopped and asked, ‘Hey, you okay?’

‘Sure, yes. I’m fine, promise.’ She smiled to prove it.

‘Well, uh, I just wanted to see if you wanted to have a nightcap at the  _ Falcon _ , after the party? I made some hot toddy—with the Whyren’s.’

Leia gasped dramatically. ‘And you’re going to  _ share _ that? How could I say no!’

‘Just ‘cos it’s New Year,’ Han answered, pointing a finger at her.

‘Okay, I’ll drop by later,’ she said, grinning. That might just make giving him his gift simpler.

* * *

By 0054, the party in the hangar had winded down, save for a few stragglers. Han had stayed for about ten minutes after Leia had left, to try and see who her gift recipient was and what she’d gotten for them, but she didn’t return. Eventually, he too had turned in, deciding to wait for her at the  _ Falcon _ .

Alone in the cabin, he took the small package out of his closet and unwrapped it. Would it be good enough? Had he screwed up, picking a present like this? He didn’t have anything else to give her now, so it’d have to do.

‘Solo, are you going to pour me some of that hot toddy or not?’ her voice said from the corridor outside. Han quickly stuffed the gift in a pocket and turned around with a lopsided grin as Leia stood in the hatchway, hands on her hips, a challenging eyebrow raised at him.

‘All in good time, Organa,’ he said, but followed her back to the main hold. There was a large parcel sitting on his Dejarik table. ‘What’s  _ that _ ?’

‘All in good time, Captain,’ she chided, sliding into the couch. ‘First, you owe me a drink.’

‘Fine, fine.’ Han raised his hands and walked over to the crate on top of which they usually put the thermapad. He took the carafe he’d left there to warm and poured two glasses. ‘Asked Luke to join us, but y’know how he is… that kid can’t appreciate a good drink.’

‘Mm. Or he’s not corrupted, like us.’

‘Speak for yourself.’ Han offered her a glass, then tilted his chin at the package still on the table. ‘Couldn’t find your secret friend?’

Leia took a sip of her drink and closed her eyes briefly, savouring it. Then she looked up at him silently for a moment, her big brown eyes pinning him to the spot.

‘I just did.’

Han gave her a confused look.

‘Wait…  _ me _ ? You got me?’

‘Yes. Go on, then, open it,’ she said impatiently.

Still surprised, not just at the reveal but at the coincidence, Han sat down, left his glass and drew the present to him. The wrapping was just discarded sheets of flimsi that the volunteers had dyed and stuck together in bigger sheets for anyone to use. He sneaked a glance at Leia before peeling it away: he could tell she was nervous. 

It was a pillow, big, fluffy and encased in a soft but sturdy navy blue fabric.

‘You have great blankets, but I don't know how you get any rest with those hard, flat slabs you call pillows,’ Leia said. ‘So I snuck one of the spares we have and had it cleaned and fluffed up. And I made the pillowcase myself. I thought the colour would go well with your grey sheets.’

Hesitantly, she added, ‘Turn it around.’

Embroidered into the pillow with light grey thread, there was a basic outline of the  _ Millennium Falcon _ surrounded by stars.

‘You made this for me?’ Han said, feeling kind of stunned at the thoughtful work. Leia rolled her eyes but nodded. ‘I’m… This is… Wasn’t expectin’ this.’

Leia was clutching her fingers tightly in an effort not to pull them, one of her tells when she was anxious.

‘Thank you. Leia. I love it,’ he said sincerely, holding the pillow on his lap. The present meant more than he could really tell her: how she’d thought of something non-essential, just for him; thinking how to match it with what he had; that impressive cross-stitch that must have taken her hours...

‘I didn’t know you could do this.’

‘Oh yes. I’ve been doing it bit by bit before bed,’ she said. ‘So, are you going to tell me who was your secret friend now?’

Han laughed. He took the stiff plastifoam box out of his pocket and put it on the table in front of her.

‘It’s you,’ he said, amused at her shocked face.  _ Makes two of us, sweetheart. _

‘But… wasn’t it General Rieekan?’

Han shook his head and, after another stunned moment, Leia opened her present with careful fingers. The sharp inhale of breath she let out was genuine this time.

‘This is—um—it’s a New Year’s orb,’ she said, her voice quivering.

He had fucked up.

‘Hey, I’m sorry,’ Han said quickly, sliding closer to her on the seat. ‘I didn’t mean to—I didn’t think—’

Leia looked up earnestly at him and put a hand on his arm. ‘No! It’s okay! This is so—beautiful, I just—I never thought I’d see one of these again, how did you...?’

‘Uh, Rieekan told me about ‘em so I tried to find one in the black market,’ he explained, ‘but I couldn’t. So I just went to a glassine blower on our last run to Saijo and had her make it.’

Holding it in her hands, Leia carefully turned around the transparent ornament, examining the blooming gingerbells painted in golden orange and the shimmering, swirling glow on the inside. After he hadn’t been able to find a vendor for a legitimate Alderaanian orb, Han had gone back to Rieekan and asked a few more questions. That’s how he’d found out gingerbells bloomed in winter, and were traditional in New Year celebrations, and that many people had their orbs custom-made, personalized just for them.

Trying not to stare at Leia as she put her gift back in its wrapper, Han knocked back his whiskey. He nearly spit it out when she body-slammed into him, arms awkwardly wrapped around his shoulders.

‘Thank you,’ she said, words muffled against his shirt.

When she didn’t immediately move away, Han left his glass on the table and held her back. Her head fitted neatly under his chin. Her body was warm and soft against his chest. She was naturally affectionate, but not with him, not unless it was a burst of emotion she couldn’t hold back, like after Luke had blown up the Death Star and they’d come down to Yavin as heroes. But today had been rough for her, he could tell as much. It was no wonder she’d let her guard down at last.

With a discreet cough, Leia peeled herself off him. She looked flushed but not unhappy as she finished her drink.

‘This has been really nice, but… I think I should go now,’ she said quietly, hands cupping her gift but making no attempt to pick it up or stand up.

He didn’t want her to go. He didn't want her to be alone, and he didn't want to be alone, either. He wouldn't try anything—he just appreciated her company.

‘What’s the hurry?’ he asked casually. ‘I got more of that toddy.’

‘I have work tomorrow.’

‘Your shift starts late,’ he reminded her. ‘You’re welcome to the spare bunk.’

‘There’s bound to be talk…’ Leia said, assessing him.

‘C’mon. It’s cold outside in the hangar.’

She raised her eyebrows.

‘You can lend me a coat.’

‘You’ll freeze out there!’ he tried.

Leia licked her lips, and her hands moved to hold her empty glass as she pretended to examine it.

‘What did you put in there?’ she joked, but her smile was soft, eyes shining like starlight at him. ‘Maybe just a half a drink more.’

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from "Christmas Day", and the ending was inspired by "Baby, it's cold outside", because as Mariah Carey said, "I know it's over the top but that's how festive I am".


End file.
